Family and Subcultures – Books & Web

Sally Mann – Immediate Family

How would you photograph your family? Would they be happy and would it be done in good will?

Mann’s work explores family portraits and snapshots, what they mean and how they are portrayed and seen by the viewers. When she was born 1933, her parents had already got collections among collections of family shots of each other. To think about it, a majority of the human race was born before cameras were invented or wasn’t wealthy enough to be able to afford one, this resulted in when a loved one died/departs there were no visual pieces of prove or memorabilia that they ever lived. It was as if their faces and their presence were completely faded and starts to instantly disappear. Without photographs there is no-way of looking back at your past and remembering it, you can only get told about it and how it was but there will be no actual proof of it.

A camera was a very important part of the family home and what we’ve come to mean in America in the twentieth century by Family.

It was seen as very important to have a camera as it would capture all the special moments and the memories for the children and parents/adults to have when there are older. Just like in today’s world it is the same, nearly every household/family will own some sort of camera, it is something that is seen as a typical and well known piece of technology to have. Everyone knows what they do and why they are made, to capture moments that will never happen again at the same time or just ever.

Photographing your family is completely different than photographing the public and other people in which you do not know personally. There are different ways in which you would photograph them and why you would photograph them like that. Families are a lot more open and the photographs mean something to them, the person who is photographing will have a certain way of taking the image and why they specifically want it like that, just like a professional photographer would.

Mann,S.(1992).Immediate Family, London, Phaidon Press (1992)

Fig.1. p.190 Hirsch. (1997). Family Frames.

 A typical type of family photograph that you would have when you're on holiday, to remind you and give you memories for when you are older and want to look back. Not all families take shots like this though.

Sally Mann’s photographed her children at a young age, but these images didn’t seem like the ‘ordinary’ type of photograph you would imagine a parent would take of their children; let alone show and exhibit for millions of people to see. These photographs represent somewhat of her childhood memories not those of her own children’s’ life. This may be because her father; as Mann did call that he had ‘a keen sense of the perverse,’ as he photographed her in the nude when she was a young girl. This could be a reason to why the woman of the household took the family photographs; as if the man of the house took the photographs some people would see it as wrong and not right in doing so depending upon what the photograph was of and how the children were seen the photograph.  

The New York Times, The Photography of Sally Mann, (1992). The Photography of Sally Mann. Available at (http://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/25/magazine/l-the-photography-of-sally-mann-712292.html?ref=sallymann

Fig2.Mann.S. Family Pictures.



Fig3.Mann.S. Family Pictures.

Personally I think Mann's work tells a story of her children's life and how in reality events like these happen and will, just because families don't usually document this; doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

Photographs from: - http://sallymann.com/selected-works/family-pictures

Photographs can be seen any many different ways and if you have a connection to them this can conflict what you are seeing and what you want to see.

Contemplation, Meditation and the Landscape – Web

Don McCullin Landscape work is reflective and portraying what is been seen, but do we really know all the detail behind each Landscape photograph?

In the1980’s he got told that his war work was ‘too depressing’ by the Sunday times incoming editor Andrew Neil, McCullin returned back to photographing Landscapes and work with winter scenes of his beloved Somerset Levels, he had a close connection with the Somerset Landscapes.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/may/22/don-mccullin-southern-frontiers-interview -

Nicholas Wroe

The Guardian, Saturday 22 May 2010

Article history

Accessed on 09.03.2012

McCullin says that he finds winter the best time of year to photograph because it is the most naked time of the year, quote - ‘I’m obsessed with photographing it in the dead of winter, at its hardest ...’ He becomes his most productive and creative in the winter time, he has four months of darkness and cold to express and show his emotion and feelings towards the landscape.



Towards an Iron Age hill fort, Somerset, 1991

http://www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/nmem/exhibitions/donmccullin/exhibition.asp

Accessed on 09.03.2012

McCullin published ‘Homecoming (1979)’ he had always been photographing England but he ignored the urban side of it, for the last two decades he has turned to viewing and looking at the land around him and his homeland in Somerset. His work does not represent the sort of Somerset that would be looked at by tourists or for a tourist board. He only photographs in the winter period; he is always on the lookout for naked trees and where the land and sky meet.  This sounds like a tranquil and peaceful place to you and me and to anyone that is viewing the images, but there may be a story and reason to why McCullin photographs like this.

He noted that his ‘eyes had grown accustomed to the dark.’ Everything he seemed to see reflected his childhood and the scenes he had witnessed of ‘dereliction, death and disaster in other countries.’ Some people say his Landscapes portray anger at the damaged environment.

"Photography is my whole life's blood," he says. "I'm no good at literature, I'm no good at language, I'm no good at anything - all I can do is keep myself nice and clean, print my pictures, constantly look at my photographic books. If I didn't have photography, I'd be a lost soul. I wouldn't be any good as a father or husband, because I can only have pride in myself because of the achievements that I'm striving towards in photography. Photography has given me respectability, in a way. It's given me recognition as a human being."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2005/aug/06/photography.art

Interview by Aida Edemariam

The Guardian, Saturday 6 August 2005

Article history

Accessed 10.03.2012  



Rural Landscape and round dew pond near his village, Somerset 1990’s

Gelatin Silver Print 10.5 x 15.5inches/ 16 x 20 inches Open Edition

http://www.hamiltonsgallery.com/

In a BBC radio interview with Don McCullin the interviewer asked about his work regarding the landscape of Somerset this was the question “But do you feel that the landscape itself is a dark presence. I mean, you clearly have a very strong sense of nature. Now, is that nature beneficent, benevolent, or is it storing up all sorts of awful cruelty?” McCullin talked about how the countryside is been taken over by building new houses on the land and that eventually it will become like one giant theme park, ‘We have to realise the precious moment now, that we have to pass on to our children and grandchildren, and so on and so on.’ Even though most of his Landscape work is gloomy and dark, people like his work and want him to do more, ‘I'm moving towards one thing and hopefully, miles away from the other thing which was war.’



http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/johntusainterview/mccullin_transcript.shtml 

Transcript of the John Tusa Interview with Don McCullin

Accessed on 10.03.2012

There is always a story behind any piece of art work or photograph it may not be seen straight away or even after a few views but once you have seen a photograph/art work a number of times and know some more in depth information, the background becomes much more clear and so does the image.

Digital Composite – E-Resources

Just because a photograph looks real, do you actually know the truth behind it?

The article that I have looked at is all about how people view and see the work differently but respectably once it has been edited and manipulated and changed of the truth. Andreas Gursky’s work ‘Stockholder Meeting’ shows exactly this, he was exhibiting his art work at the Museum of Modern Art in spring 2001; there was a mixture of feelings and views towards his work which left the viewers puzzled and a little confused at why the work was the way it was. Even thought the work was up and been displayed, the general word around the gallery was that the image that was up was ‘weird’.

His work was seen as a ‘montage with flat footed minimalist pretence’ his work with the digital and technological world, became to some extent, art, but an uninteresting result. Traditional techniques and ways were seen as magic and gave somewhat an interesting and appealing piece of art work. Michael Fried explained that ‘stockholder meeting’ was dismissed from his 2008 book on contemporary photography as “one of the few outright failures in Gurskys retrospective exhibition.”

The work was withdrawn and when a Google image search is done there aren’t any results or records of his work. The work was seen as stepping outside of photography into photomontage and breaking the boundaries of it, but it is a different and alternative way of viewing and thinking about an image.

The photograph came straight from the photo lab to the museum in 2001; it landed within this historical blind spot, where it raised suspicion of the digital aspect of photography, where high quality printing was still new to the general public. The edited parts of the work can be seen mainly around the heads of the people in the image and shows the work of Photoshop. Obvious manipulation to the image had happened and this could be seen, so this then made the viewers question whether the other artwork had been ‘Photo-shopped’ as well. Some of the images had been highly composited but others hadn’t. The viewers of the artwork left the museum feeling uncertain about the amount and use of the technology that had been used (implications of the work).

Personally I think they had the right to question the work and wonder why it had to be edited and changed so much. In this case the viewers did know the truth behind this piece of artwork as it could be seen clearly because of the level of technique used to manipulate it. But in other cases, photographs cannot always be as truthful as they may make out, simply because of how high the digital technology is and the level of which people can now change and manipulate an image. It is becoming a challenge for people to work out that an image isn’t the truth but on the other hand every time we see a photograph we are questioning whether it has been manipulated and edited of the truth.

Certain Artists and photographers stay away from the digital technology and changing images and stick to more traditional ways of exhibiting and getting a natural look of an image. Now that we have all this new technology and ways to change how an image once looked and completed twist it of the truth, photographers are wanting to go back to analogue and the original/traditional  way of photographing.

Digital composites and manipulated images have changed the way the world views and judges’ images and this will not change, no matter how many photographers start using analogue and traditional techniques again. Film photography acts as a reassurance that not all photography is digitally enhance, even though film has always been editable, it has changed the way we view life. “This reassurance is highly attractive, but almost certainly false.”

Reference: -

Author: Lord, Benjamin

Afterimage; July/August 2010, Vol. 38 Issue 1, p5-8, 4p

Feature Article

Gursky, Andreas; Photomontage; Gursky, Andreas: illustration(s): Stockholder Meeting, Diptych

Accessed: - 01.03.2012

Edward Leffingwell wrote a comment in the Art of America about the whole point of the work was so you kept visiting the gallery on several occasions so that the “viewers stopped to figure out this work”. Some people saw his work as not a realistic view and exhibit because of the amount of technology that had helped him create the cut and paste piece of work.

Still Life Photography – Book Stock

Definition of ‘Still Life’ –

·         Representation of inanimate objects, such as flowers or fruit, in paintings or photography.

·         A painting, picture, or photograph of inanimate objects.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/still+life

Still Life

Any subject matter that does not move, is classed as Still Life photography, items such as flowers, fruit and vegetables etc (food) are classed as still life as-well because they are non-moving objects, there are also life forms of still life which do not move as-well.

Not as much lighting is needed in still life shoots, this is because the subject matter is normally much smaller and does cover as much area as a human or portrait style shot would need.

http://www.schoolofphotography.com/courses/free-photography-tips-and-articles/19-still-life-photography.html

Helen Chadwick

Chadwick’s work of animals and figures in the pool are all seen as still lives, this is because the animals were only very recently living. The lamb, the monkfish, the rabbits, the crab etc all appear to be dancing and flying in the embraces of the lover in the pool have passed into a dreamscape where all their existence is no longer real but is only remembered.



The Oval Court (detail)

The Oval Court (detail)

The positions of the women (bodies) in the pool have been taken from famous displays of women – the swoon of Bernini’s St Teresa when the seraph pierces her breast inspires the lover and bird in the goose panel. The none living objects like the lace, cords and veils create a different response to what the animals do.

Helen’s work I think is all about the feelings and different emotions between still life pieces in one photograph. Her own feelings are been portrayed in her work and how people see each other and how we can show this through different types of still life. She wants the viewers to get a feeling from the work and know what it is trying to portray to them,

Max Friedlander said ‘Still Life can be a symbol of life in flower, or equally it can be the symbol of ruin and death.’ – To me this quote is very realistic there isn’t really a boundary on what can be classed as Still Life, as any non moving object/subject could easily be classed as still life but also could be put under Portraiture if a person for example.

Book: -

CHADWICK, HELEN - ENFLESHINGS

Publication: SECKER AND WARBURG, 1989

Identities

Cindy Sherman – E-Resources

There is a whole set of different ideas and believes that can make up someone’s identity, from their religion to their facial features. All of which can be changed according to how you want them too and possibly how others want them to be. Your identity is seen as what makes you and how people see you in everyday life, you can create different types of identity if you wanted/needed to. This is down to plastic surgery, changeable features and extras you can have done to yourself in today’s world.

Cindy Sherman’s work, portraits of Botoxed ageing females, (all of which is played by herself) is illustrating the idea that woman are trying everything and anything to hold onto their youth and beauty. Her first series of images was questioned whether it was about woman/wives of the wealthy collector that walk around the art fairs and galleries with their cheque books in hand. Sherman’s work is to the extreme, she extenuates the women’s bad taste and fake look, ranging from the fake tan to the painted on false eyebrows and lashes.  

Cindy Sherman’s idea of photographing herself portrayed as other individuals in society some according to the social class, came from a soap star in the 1980’s talking about how 'you too could look as fabulous as I do; all you need to do is watch my video and I'll tell you my makeup tips'. Sherman explained how the woman spoke with a ‘snooty’ voice, taking her role-play very serious and enjoying it. A large photograph of the woman was in the background of the video was brought to Sherman’s attention and she thought about the fact that it is normally the wealthy people who can afford paintings of themselves  and want to show them off. Somewhere, somehow, this is coded into the image", she explains. How the people are shown is also encoded in the portraits, from the extreme, dramatic plastic surgery to the wrinkles is just a small range of changes to the faces and bodies which suggest an underlying melancholy, which keeps the series of work from being critiqued of been rich and tasteless.

Sherman’s work always has a hint of sadness and fear, this is the lie that hides behind the social face, Cindy’s new series confronts ageing woman and every-day life.  Sherman’s work refers back to how when you get older, you begin to become unnoticeable and like you’re disappearing into the background of everyday life. Her work is showing that how everything comes down to youth and wanting to look well and upbeat in today’s society.

Untitled (#471)

This image presents a woman dressed in a prom like evening gown, and candy coloured painted nails, her stiff pose and red-rimmed eyes disguise the youthful image she is trying to project.

Photograph from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2009/apr/22/cindy-sherman-photography-art-exhibition#/?picture=346248314&index=8

Reference:  AUTHOR:	LAURA ALLSOP
TITLE:	THE 'REAL' Cindu Sherman
SOURCE:	Art Review (London, England) no31 70-5 Ap 2009
COPYRIGHT:	Copyright Art Review, Ltd. USA and Canadian subscription to Art Review are handled by agents: International Media Service, 3330 Pacific Ave., Ste. 404, Virginia Beach, VA 23451, 800-428-3003. Annual subscription price $79, Canada $85. Our Internet address is http://www.art-review.co.uk/ The woman with a hundred faces She first tried photography out in the State University College in Buffalo but this was a failure, but her second tutor shown her the conceptual art, which had a big effect on Sherman. Cindy started off by painting self portraits and copying photographs she saw in magazines. In 1975 she took a self portrait, the first impression was humours, she gave herself the look of a worker or an auto mechanic,  her work is very up close and personal, so the body basically isn’t there. In the first series of work Untitled A-E she makes her appearance, only sunbathing (natural or fake) is the reminder of her feminine attributes. Sherman got more and more involved with the work and started to buy more clothes, "I was buying and collecting more and more of those things, and suddenly the characters appeared quite simply because I owned something of theirs." This is exactly why identities can change and someone else could possible take your role on, this is if you see an identity of a person by their clothing and the way they portray themselves. Reference: - AUTHOR: SANDRINE MALINAUD TITLE: CINDY SHERMAN THE WOMAN WITH A HUNDRED FACES SOURCE: Cimaise 46 no258 33-40 Mr/Ap 1999

Nam June Paik - Web Research

Installation Art – Web Research

Installation Art was seen as collectively bringing all the different types of media together and creating one amazing piece of installation art. Installation art is a piece performance for the gallery space in which it is going to be placed/exhibited in, the piece of art work performs rather than the artist. It is a piece where the audience/visitors can interact with it and get involved, so that it gets the visitors included and active towards the piece of work.

All different types of media are used to create a piece of installation art such as light, sound, video, electronic images etc, this then means involvement from the visitors is vital and is more than just looking at a static image. How the installation art is seen and the reaction from the visitors all depends on the involvement of them and how they view a piece of art.

Nam June Paik

In 1958 John Cage had inspirational ideas about music and performance, this led Paik to think about how he could experiment with sounds and his compositions.  Throughout this stage, Paik got involved with the Neo-Dada Artists, this was known as Fluxus, this included artist like Joseph Beuys, Yoko Ono and Wolf Vostell.

The artists became known for their ‘do-it-yourself’ attitude to creative activity. In 1961 the first Fluxus event was formed at the AG gallery in New York, followed by many festivals in Europe in 1962.  There were no specific rules or ideas of Fluxus but it was seen as an attitude rather than a movement, accident and chance played a large part in installation art and humour was also an important part of it.

This type of medium opened up many ideas and thoughts for Paik and his work, as it was a way of showing everyday objects in a different form using sound and lighting and wanted to get new/ out of the ordinary reactions from the viewers.

www.tate.org.uk/liverpool/.../nam-june-paik-education-pack.pdf

Fluxus

The movement known as ‘Fluxus’ started off in the early 1960’s in New York, artists grouped together centred around John Cage and created/ developed ‘Anti-Art’. Fluxus staged a sequence of festivals in Copenhagen, Amsterdam, London, New York and Paris, there were successful festivals which shown Avant Garde style of performance, which created excitement for the viewers and visitors of them. The artist which played a large part in the Fluxus movement festivals included Joseph Beuys, Yoko Ono and Wolf Vostell and Nam June Paik.

‘The movement, which still continues, played an important role in the opening up of definitions of what art can be.’

http://www.tate.org.uk/liverpool/exhibitions/namjunepaik/room2.shtm

When Paik is using his television work and household objects are involved, he tends to turn them upside down, opposite way and on their sides so that it changes the viewers’ relationship with them as household objects.

Above (Top): Family of Robot: Mother (left) and Family of Robot: Father (right) (1986), single channel video sculptures with vintage television and radio castings and monitors; color, silent; mother: 78x61.5x20.75 inches

Above (Bottom) Family of Robot: Hi tech baby (1986). Single channel video sculpture with television casing, thirteen monitors, and aluminium structure, color, silent, 52.5x37.8 inches.

Electronic Superhighway: Continental US (1995). Forty seven channel and closed circuit video installation with 313 monitors, neon, and steel structure; color, sound, approx. 15x32x4 feet

http://www.paikstudios.com/gallery/gallery_index.html  



Work in Focus: Zen for film 1964:-

Zen for film can be viewed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z1sOsIrshU

In this piece, Paik work in run on a continuous loop through a projector, all the viewers will see is a blank white screen, the light projected from the lamp illuminating specs of dust and impurities on the film every so often. This was Paiks answer/result to Robert Rauschenberg’s work, in which white canvases and only light and shadow from the environment there were in was seen on them. This type of work is revealing the materials natural qualities and nothing more.

 

‘Zen is also concerned with being aware of life around you. It is about experiencing each moment without letting memories or thoughts get in the way- seeing, feeling, touching, smelling and hearing.’

www.tate.org.uk/liverpool/.../nam-june-paik-education-pack.pdf